Andy Coulson phone-hacking investigation to be dropped

Police are to abandon the investigation into allegations that Andy Coulson,
one of David Cameron’s key advisers, was involved in phone tapping at the
News of the World.

By Robert Winnett, Auslan Cramb and Richard Edwards

8:01AM GMT 10 Dec 2010

The Daily Telegraph can disclose that detectives are to be formally advised by the Crown Prosecution Service that Mr Coulson and other former and current employees of the tabloid newspaper have no criminal case to answer.

Scotland Yard is expected to announce within days that the investigation has been closed.

Mr Coulson, 42, the director of communications at Downing Street, previously edited the News of the World. He was interviewed by police last month. The decision is likely to be welcomed by the Prime Minister, who has publicly offered his backing to the adviser. He would have been seriously undermined by any escalating police inquiry.

The Metropolitan Police launched a successful investigation into the conduct of a News of the World journalist and a private detective more than five years ago.

They were prosecuted for hacking into messages left on the mobile phones of well-known people.

They were prosecuted and the two men were sent to jail. Their actions were condemned by News International, which owns the newspaper.

Mr Coulson, who resigned in the wake of the affair, has repeatedly denied any knowledge of the illegal tactics.

It was alleged that there was a “culture” of phone hacking at the newspaper, with other reporters being involved. Mr Coulson was also implicated.

The allegations were seized upon by Labour MPs and some newspapers who put the police under intense pressure to reopen their investigation.

Last year, Scotland Yard thoroughly reviewed the case and concluded that there was no need for a further inquiry.

However, after another round of allegations in the New York Times this year, detectives bowed to renewed Labour pressure and reopened the investigation.

Several key witnesses were interviewed, including Mr Coulson. A file was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service.

But, it is understood that there were inconsistencies in the statements of those making the allegations and prosecutors ruled that there was “no case to answer”.

Mr Coulson is thought to have been exonerated.

Scotland Yard and Downing Street declined to comment.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman refused to comment and said a file of evidence was still with prosecutors.

Mr Coulson appeared yesterday at a perjury trial of Tommy Sheridan, a former member of the Scottish Parliament accused of being an adulterer by the News of the World. He denied being involved in any illegal activity.

He told the High Court in Glasgow that he was not a bully and did not preside over a culture of phone hacking.

Mr Coulson said he resigned from the paper because he thought it was the right thing to do after Clive Goodman, the royal editor, was jailed for phone tapping offences.

He was questioned by Mr Sheridan, former leader of the Scottish Socialist Party, who is conducting his own defence.

Mr Sheridan and his wife, Gail, both 46, deny lying under oath during the former MSP’s defamation case against the Sunday tabloid in 2006. The trial continues.